Elephant’ in the room

Thursday

Appealingly old-school, “Water for Elephants” proves even the roughest edges can be smoothed with some well-played sentimentality.

out of 5 stars

Rating: 3 stars

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz

Director: Francis Lawrence

Rating: PG-13 for violence, language and sexuality

Theaters: Stadium, Forum

Francis Lawrence directs the film, based on the best-selling novel by Sara Gruen, adapted to the screen by veteran Hollywood scribe Richard LaGravenese (“The Fisher King,” “The Bridges of Madison County”). Lawrence got his start directing music videos, then moved on to horror (“Constantine”) and sci-fi (“I Am Legend”). Stepping back in time for this film might seem like a stretch, but the director pulls it off.

Told in flashback, the story begins in the present day as an elderly man named Jacob Jankowski (Hal Holbrook) recalls his brief stint as part of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Cut to the early 1930s, where 23-year-old Jacob (Robert Pattinson) prepares to graduate from Cornell University with a veterinary science degree and begin his idyllic life. Then misfortune strikes, and in the blink of an eye, Jacob finds himself alone, broke and homeless.

He hops a train that just happens to be owned by the Benzini Brothers circus, where he’s taken to meet the owner and ringmaster, August Rosenbluth (Christoph Waltz). A ruthless and impatient businessman, August nearly has Jacob red-lighted — tossed off the moving train — until it’s revealed he studied to be a vet. August keeps Jacob on until he can prove his worth.

That opportunity arises at their next stop, when Jacob is forced to put down a disabled horse, which deals a major blow to the company’s star attraction, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), an equestrian performer married to August. It’s a devastating loss to the circus, but it demonstrates Jacob’s sensitivity to Marlena, a quality missing from her often-violent husband. Sparks begin to fly.

When August purchases an elephant named Rosie to redefine Marlena’s act, Jacob becomes its handler and soon finds himself part of the couple’s inner circle. There he becomes witness to August’s brutality to Marlena, the animals and other members of the troupe. Passions ignite, and anger boils, leading to a series of tragic confrontations.

The film’s production values are excellent, imparting an old-fashioned look and feel, nicely complemented by James Newton Howard’s sweeping musical score. The sets and costumes complete the authentic period milieu. This attention to detail includes a healthy dose of Depression-era vernacular, such as when one of the characters suffers from “Jake leg.”

The movie’s biggest problems are in its casting. As Marlena, Witherspoon is merely OK. She fails to disappear into character and at no time suspends disbelief she might actually be of the era. Pattinson, on the other hand, looks the part but has all the personality of a circus peanut. Though he fares better here than in his “Twilight” role, he seems to have only two expressions in his acting arsenal — deadpan dull or goofy grin. Anything beyond that feels like a major accomplishment. The pronounced lack of chemistry between the two leads never threatens the narrative yet sadly brings nothing special to the table.

Luckily, Waltz is around to liven things up. Best known to American audiences as the sadistic Nazi officer in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” the charismatic Austrian actor steals the show, as expected. If anything, his portrayal of the bipolar ringmaster is a bit restrained. The supporting cast is flavorful, but unlike the book, their characters are not fully developed. Jim Norton plays Camel, the old-timer who takes Jacob under his wing. Mark Povinelli plays Walter, also known as Kinko the Clown, while Scott MacDonald plays Blackie, August’s strong-arm enforcer.

Short of depth but long on nostalgia, “Water for Elephants” is nonetheless a true audience pleaser, and sometimes that’s enough.

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